Opinions on electric fence, cruel or necessary?

I'll never have the "invisible" fence one -- some dogs will heed one and that's fine.  But it doesn't protect your dog from anyone/anything coming IN your yard. 

I'm editing this cos I did a big post without reading the original --- MY BAD!!!  I should have read it before I posted.
 
If you train them along with it, then it may save you dire grief.  Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do to contain them and keep them safe.  You control the voltage -- I don't think it's cruel to take what steps you must to contain them.  That IS an adequate fence with a little extra encouragement to keep them from going OVER it.  vigilance will be needed tho, too.

hmm..well i think if your dogs life is in danger from constantly escaping, and electric fencing is the only wat to go, then go ahead with it.

calliecritturs, i don't think she is replacing her current fence with eletric fence, she is just putting some electric wires over the fence.

When we adopted Lady last year (Then a 4 year old yellow lab mix), she would climb the 4 foot fence around our back yard.  It's two wooded acres, so it was hard to see her all the time when she was outside.  As a last resort, we put up a hot wire.  It is about a foot off the ground and the support brackets place it about six inches out from the fence on the inside. The battery powered box gives a light shock designed for dogs.  I wouldn't use one strong enough for large animals. The directions said the dog must be touching the ground when they touch the wire so it needs to be close to the ground.  This also keeps anyone outside the yard from touching it.  The next morning she brushed against it, gave out a brief yelp, and never tried to dig out or climb out again.  It hasn't been on since that day.
 
The funny thing in the directions was, be sure there is no other dog around when they touch it, because they may turn on that dog thinking they caused the shock. 
 
Hope you find the right solution for your yard.
 
Donna
Max (5 year old black lab)
Lady (6 year old yellow lab mix rescue)  
Sam (1 year old Beagle rescue)
 

Since the electric fence has been strung along the original fence line, Sasha has yet to escape. She doesn't show any fear of the fence or yellow electric line.
 
My daughter Heather went out and grabbed the line on her own. She came in laughing, and telling me how weird it felt, and that it didn't hurt. I was pleased that it didn't actually hurt, but also worried about the strength of the electric fence. If it's not strong enough, it wont affect Sasha. So I went out and grabbed the line, and took my sandals off. It's definitely on, but not working as well as it should be. Why in the world would it's shock only be half of what it should be? I have two 3 foot rebar driven into the ground with the ground wire attached...?
 
One last question... Will training change this major problem? I went ahead with the personal trainer for $175, but now I'm worried that it wont help with her recall, or her seperation problem...

Shannon, the way I look at it is if its what needs to be done to ensure the safety of your dog(s) then that's what needs to be done. I must say, I've been zapped twice - both times at horse farms. Once we were supposed to be working on the fence, and I was told it was off. Grabbed it with both hands, and had a pretty darned hefty current run from one hand to the other - chattering my teeth in the process. Other time I accidently leaned into the wire, with my forehead. Yet another teeth chattering experience. I lived, and I'm no more brain damaged than I was to begin with. []

A friend of mine once tricked me into grabbing an electric fence.  He owned horses so its obvious why he had an electrified fence.  When I grabbed it I felt as if though I was dying.  I immediately turned around and punched him in the face.  "How dare you trick me you SOB!" I yelled.  He got up quicker than lightning, staring at me.  "Why would you punch me?", he asked perplexed.  "Because you're a jerk, thats why.", I respond in a harsh tone.  But yeah, I forgot what I was gonna type. Damn.

    This is pointless but my friends and I used to frequent a friends 500 acre farm in high school to ... um ... study. One night, let's just say that the farm's recycle bin was overflowing with bottles, my buddy Mike began to chase one of his uncle's cows. It was initially hilarious, then Mike and the cow ended up dissapearing into the dark we were startled by an enormous flash of light followed by sparks that must have shot 2 stories into the air. We didn't think that much of it as we laughed and walked closer as it really didn't make any noise. Upon arriving at the source of the fireworks we found Mike passed out on the grass and a cow half cooked! 
    Mike just passed out from the maker's mark and was fine, the cow was not. His uncle was furious as the cow was top dollar angus. Apparently the previous week his uncle had illegally "upgraded" the fencing. Ever since then I (no pun intended) "steer" away of electric fences. I doubt though that your dog would be in any danger, most of them don't second as a grill.

Did you guys get to dine on some top angus beef afterwards?  Its kind of a lose-win situation.  You probably got a sweet meal, and the uncle lost a cow.  

I've heard about bulls waiting until a rainy day came, then propping a wet stick on the wires to ground out the fence and then calmly walking through it.

 
I love stuff like this!  Just another clue that the other species are thinking, too...
 
Coldblooded horses, and other livestock, have tougher hides than dogs, and are generally docile about the fence and do learn quickly.  This type of fencing is used in farm applications because it is effective and inexpensive.  But, it does not keep the coyotes out - they are athletic enough to jump over or dig under.  It wouldn't be my choice for dogs.

Sasha has started personal training. I'm hoping after $175 and lots of works we can trust her, and take the electric fencing down. But at this point, I feel the only way to contain her, without a crate, is the electricity. I have tested the lines many times. It takes about 2 to 3 seconds to actually shock, and it's very mild. It's not comfortable, but I don't want her to be comfortable when her face is down to the ground trying to dig out. The lines are about 8 inches from the ground, and about half way up the fence. So far, with my mother inlaw checking on them frequently, I know that the lines are working. Sasha has yet to get out.

 
In an individual situation like this, where the dog's life is at risk, I would say use what works.  But, I still would want to surround the fence with something that keeps predators out.

I wish I could give you an idea of what my yard looks like. If you look in the pictures section, I posted some pictures of Sasha. In the background, you will see a 6' privacy fence surrounding the front yard. The back yard is small, and completely surrounded by 6' fencing.
 
Let's see if I can draw something up real quick...
 
The hot wire runs about 8 inches from the ground to prevent Sasha from digging out. The second hot wire runs about 2 1/2 feet up the fence to prevent jumping up and over. I can go touch the line, and it will give a good shock, but there is no pain.
 
So far neither of the dogs are afraid of the yard, or the fencing. I would much rather have the hot wire up and risk her being afraid of it, then having her running the streets. So far she has managed to escape twice, and ended up at someone's house. Only because of her tag, she returned safely. I live about two blocks from the I-5 freeway.
 
I can't preview the picture. So there's no telling if it will show up right...

ahtm,
 
    No, no meal. I high tailed it out of dodge, his uncle always got mean when he drank and he grabbed a bottle of jim beam after the cow cooked. He always tried to mess with me, calling me a dirty yank or city prissy. There were just too many firearms and good'ole boys with booze arriving and making fun of his uncle for me to stick around; I could tell he was itching to take it out on one of us just to save face.
    I got home safe and sound with the few of us that left. I'm glad we did, because Mike's uncle and gritty pals got my friend drunk and dropped him off in the middle of nowhere after they stripped all his clothes off. I never went back.